1912

Man in a Café

Spanish, 1887 - 1927

Juan Gris was the only artist included in the 1912 Salon de la Section d'Or who actually used the ideal mathematical proportions of the Golden Section to construct his compositions, as seen in the complex system of grids and geometrical forms that make up this image of a café-terrace dandy. This modern man of taste, complete with top hat and black suit, rests one hand on a chair, while cradling a glass of absinthe in the other. The inclusion of the letters "PIC" and "AP" to the left of the man's shoulder can be understood as a reference to Picasso, the cocreator of Cubism, and Guillaume Apollinaire, the movement's fervent critical champion.